With Dart in the concussion protocol, veteran Jameis Winston made his Giants debut on Sunday in a 27-20 home loss to the Packers. Russell Wilson, who started the first three weeks of the season for the Giants, served as the backup.
Winston completed 19 of 29 attempts for 201 yards and an interception on a pass intended for Jalin Hyatt in the end zone with 40 seconds remaining in a one-possession game.
Dart suffered a concussion in the previous week’s 24-20 loss to the Bears at Soldier Field. Wilson made his first appearance since Week 6 and replaced the rookie to start the fourth quarter.
The plan is for Winston to be the backup when Dart returns, Kafka said.
Before the concussion, Dart became the first quarterback in NFL history with a touchdown run in five consecutive games, breaking a tie with Cam Newton (2011).
Dart has accounted for at least two touchdowns in each of his seven starts, tied for the second-longest streak by a rookie quarterback in the history of the league. Only Dak Prescott has a longer such streak (nine games in 2016).
Dart has five games with at least one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown, tied with reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen for most in the NFL this season.
“I don’t want to speak for Jaxson, but he’s a pretty smart player,” Kafka said about Dart getting back into the flow of the game. “He was dialed into our game plans last week. I mean, he’s been preparing like this even early in the season when he wasn’t the starter, so I wouldn’t expect anything different. We just had a great walk-through with him and the offense, so I’m excited for this practice.”